Sunday, August 21, 2011

Another quiet couple of weeks at The Hedge the blog, but behind The Hedge it's been pandemonium! A nightmare week at work with everything that could have gone wrong doing just that & MOTH's crook back still giving him heaps. We've just got back from our Sunday walk & I thought you'd like to see where we've been.

A couple of years ago I took you with me on my regular walking route on a hot Summer day. The foliage on the trees obstructed the view of most of the gorgeous houses, but today Winter's last hurrah means that the houses can be seen in all their glory! St. Vigean's is the jewel in the crown & the first house on the Birch Road/Laurel Road loop.

Love that verandah & the decorative wrought iron to bits!

Yep, it's MOTH & Lulu out enjoying the Hills air.

There are still lots of Winter creeks running on properties.

Here's Dunfuin in all it's Edwardian glory.

It's probably still too cold for sitting out on the verandah with a late afternoon G&T.

I'm always captivated by the terracotta tile work on Dunfuin's roof.

Oak Tree House is quite a different style for the area.

But still very pretty in it's unique way.

My favourite style of Hills gate.

As MOTH would say 'There's a heap of Angry Pantha's happening there Mills!'

This incline always gets the heart racing.

Copperfield & the resident guard cat.

What's got MOTH's attention?

The enclosed deck on this house that's just been completed. MOTH's been watching the Builder's do their thing & taking notes for months.

And here's my very favourite house Redwalls.

Complete with quite the most amazing clipped Ivy bank I've ever seen.

And matching detached garage.

Round the bend into a part of the loop where the houses are of a much older vintage.

I don't know the name of this house, but it's on a huge piece of land & a massive amount of restoration has been conducted over the past few years. If it's yours, do let us know!

Byethorne Lodge sits next to it.

It must have been the Gate House for the previous house & I've always thought what a wonderful little Hills retreat it would make.

Love Stirling's tall trees & the other 2 in this pic as well!

Another Winter creek on the way home.

Our neighbour's sweet little cottage.

Home again - & yes, it's camelia time here at The Hedge & one of my faves by the front door. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that it's goat curry for dinner here tonight. I'll tweet later & let you know how it tasted. I've only cooked with goat once before, so I had to wing it a bit with this one, but as I opened the door, the aroma drifting up from the slow cooker certainly indicates it will be OK! Have a wonderful week dear Hedgies.

Friday, August 12, 2011

I love what Priscilla Wikkerink has done with the teeny tiny kitchen space in Mark Challen's townhouse.

A warm, stylish & very functional space has now emerged for Mark & his partner to use for cooking & entertaining. And this picture validates perfectly why, if you can at all manage it, cabinets need to extend to the full height of the ceiling.

Priscilla has met the big challenge of working her magic in less than 100sq. metres. Here she's created a kitchen bookshelf/cabinet that doubles as a bar & storage for Mark's cookbooks.

Clever use of bevelled edge tiles add a wonderful dimension to the room & with the use of undermounted cabinet lights + aged mirrored panels behind the over head cabinet shelves that reflect the light - WOW! If have a moment, do follow the link below to the House and Home guided video tour of this little treasure. Cramped Kitchen Reno House & Home

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Thank you to everyone who's emailed me demanding to know why it's been so quiet here at The Hedge. Previous excuses used have beeen a new job, a new puppy & now I can add a sick husband to that list. Yep I've had to dig out the old white uniform & morph into Nurse Millie - MOTH has been laid low with a major back injury. A nasty acute flare up of a chronic problem has caused huge upheaval in the house. He's tried everything over the past few weeks to give him some relief, but to no avail. A last ditch interventional procedure last week using radiofrequency ablation to blast the nerves around the offending lumbar discs was an abject failure.

Work has come to a grinding halt while he does the round of Adelaide medicos seeking a cure. The Neurosurgeon broke the news to him on Wednesday that due to the dodgy nature of the facet joints around the injured discs he is not a candidate for a spinal fusion. Oh joy.

We do have one glimmer of hope though & that's the magical world of Pilates. Under sufferance, he dragged himself off to a class a couple of weeks ago & discovered immediate benefits. Although Darren Vizer the star of the video I've posted is a Melbourne pracititioner, I love his moves. Thanks DV for inspiring poor MOTH, do you do house calls?

Oh & dear Hedgies, how are things in your world, I'd love to hear, I'm desperate for some light relief.

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ABOUT ME

Life in the little village of Stirling in the hills above Adelaide in South Australia is just about as good as it gets! Enjoying a cool climate and 'hill-station' feel, Stirling is well-known for its 19th-century stone villas set on large grounds dense with roses, camellias, rhododendrons and huge old Oaks.

With 5 sons, husband & my work in a scientific business dominated by yes, more men, The Laurel Hedge was born out of my sheer desperation for something the boys just don't get & never will!

Quote This!

'No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it all too seriously.'

The Thoughts of Chairman MOTH

'A blog is like one of those light, airy, souffle, spongey cake things Millie - it can start off really good, but if you're not careful, it can end up a real mess.'

Son #5's Work

Email Millie for his contact details.

It's Finished!

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Mission Unbrown!

15 years of renovating was over - we'd just completed everything & were really enjoying our lovely old Victorian villa in the Eastern suburbs of Adelaide. However we'd always had a fondness for the country life & without warning we found ourselves transported by alien beings disguised as Real Estate Agents to a house on 1/2 acre of wild, rambling gardens in Stirling!

The house is circa 1972 & with all the 70's features. Open-faced brown brick walls, raked ceilings, exposed beams, split levels - totally yuk! However, it's inherent design is great & the location amazing - tucked behind a wonderful old laurel hedge in a quiet country lane in the heart of gorgeous Stirling.

You are most welcome join Mr. Serial Renovator & myself as we turn this ugly duckling into the beautiful creature we know is there under all the Mission Brown paint!

NOTE & DISCLAIMER

The content on this blog is not approved by the Man-of-the-House (MOTH) or any of the 5 sons belonging to both Millie & MOTH. The opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone and should not be considered representative of the opinions of the aforementioned family members. Any opinions, design concepts, renovation & building tips and other details should be taken with a grain of salt and a large margharita. All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.